Five keys to living a creative life

Giving yourself permission to dream

Hey friends,

It’s Thursday afternoon as I write this. The sky has just turned grey and the wind has picked up. I’m waiting for it to rain.

I love the rain. One might say it’s my British blood, but my main memories of rain in the UK are of it being cold and wet and annoying. I quite quickly got over splashing in puddles. I remember hours spent watching the rain through the fogged-up windows at the travel agency where I used to work, praying it would stop before I had to walk home. 

Like my customers, I’d spend my days dreaming of hotter climes and bucket-list trips. My body may have been at my desk, but my mind was soaring through the clouds, following the flight path of the one-way ticket I was saving for; fantasizing about becoming a travel writer.

Back then, I wanted a big life.

I wanted to do it all, see it all, taste it all. I wanted to visit every country on the planet and dip my toes in every ocean. I wanted to see my name and my words in National Geographic. I wanted to feel like a modern-day explorer; like I'd made something of my life; like my time here wasn't wasted.

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Five years into my trip and I still had no desire to stop travelling. I wanted to tick all the boxes. US, 2018.

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11 years on, I’ve now realised that a quiet, creative, and free life was probably what I wanted all along. I just needed a spark – a catalyst.

I don’t think I’d have been able to dream of living a creative life or being a writer if I hadn’t first dreamed of being a travel writer. It was a good entryway; a portal into this other life.

If I’m totally honest, I find it hilarious how different my life looks now from how I thought it would, but I’ve softened into it. I’ve learned to love it; to switch off from the constant desire for big novelty, and find a sort of peace and contentment in romanticising the little moments, instead. 

Of course, part of that realisation comes from spending 34 years and my entire life savings leaving absolutely no stone unturned in my quest to live a “happier” life. And then, realising that the keys to joy actually come from inside, rather than outside.

Which brings me nicely to today’s topic.

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Creativity has many faces. One is simply to be enjoyed, which is exactly the purpose of this ornamental folly.

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Five keys to living a creative life 

When I talk about living a creative life, I mean it in the broadest terms. So many people tell me they don't have a creative bone in their bodies, but they seem to think that being creative or living a creative life means:

• Being an artist or active creative of some sort

• Regularly spending hours on creative projects

• Making money from our creative endeavours 

Personally, I think this is a bit reductive. 

All of us have creative minds; the ability to dream, problem-solve, and find out-of-the-box solutions. All of us can imagine how we would want our lives to be, or how we'd like things to be different. It's just that when it comes to actually putting this into practice, things get a little sticky. 

Which is where my keys to living a creative life come in.

1- Let yourself dream

Everything starts with a dream. It doesn’t have to be big, but it should be meaningful. Something important and desirable enough that it will keep lighting your way; even if the path gets a little dark and uncomfortable.

If you’re struggling with this one, you could also try imagining yourself as the main character in the movie of your life. What would you want to happen? What would be your dream come true?

2 - Take the first step

This is the thing that really gets the ball rolling. Even if it’s the tiniest thing, it still says “I’m serious”. It takes the intangible dream and brings it into a physical reality. 

3 - Be experimental and playful

It often takes a while to find our groove, especially when we do something totally out of our comfort zone and different from what we’re used to. Embracing the beginner’s mindset and letting ourselves see the early stages of anything as a playful experiment is a great way of relieving the pressure we put on ourselves when we set our sights too high.

4 - Lean into what feels good

All too often, we beat ourselves up about where we “should” be or what we “should” be doing. We compare ourselves to others and come up wanting. We’re our own harshest critics, rather than our own biggest supporters.

Remember, you’re not pursuing a creative life because you want to break yourself into submission – you’re pursuing it to find an expansive and joyful life. This means chasing that joy from the get-go, rather than seeing it as an afterthought. Be the carrot, not the stick.

5 - Give yourself permission to change your mind

This is my favourite point of all. I despise the whole “You’ve made your bed now you have to lie in it”, thing. We humans were not designed to die on a cross. Our minds are flexible enough to change based on feedback and new information.

This ability is pretty much the sole reason we’ve been able to reach the lofty heights we have; which is funny because now looking at my list it feels like it’s the entire ethos behind any other technological advancement, too:

1. You start with an idea or a hypothesis

2. You give it a go

3. You experiment/use trial and error

4. You see what works and lean into that

5. You decide if it’s worth continuing or starting over.

In a nutshell, though, I guess that’s exactly what this creative life is. It’s all about letting ourselves try something new – something that has the potential to elevate our lives to the next level of contentment – and seeing what happens. 

Of course, like anything, it may not work out perfectly. But I’ll let you in on a secret: perfect doesn’t exist. Not in nature, not in art, and not in life.

All we can do is try. Trying gets us far closer to where we want to be than if we never try at all.

For example, I may not have managed to get my name into Nat Geo, but if I’d have never let myself dream of getting there, I’d never be here, writing to you and watching the rain from my little flower-covered home desk in Australia, rather than my old one at a high street travel agency in the UK.

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I love my little desk

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Questions to ponder

1 - Is there anything you want to try but have been putting off for whatever reason?

2 - Is there anywhere in your life you could be more curious, experimental, and/or playful?

3 - Is there anything that you’ve been waiting for permission to change your mind about? Consider this your permission slip.

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I hope you have a wonderful week, my loves.

Thanks for being here, as always.

Cx

PS: If you’re interested in trying my creative mentoring services and exploring these questions further, I offer a $50 discount on one-off sessions to all my Substack subscribers. Send me a message or visit my website to find out more!

PPS: I very recently took the huge step and turned on paid subscriptions. For now, I’m keeping everything in front of the paywall, however, I have big dreams for this space, including sharing more personal posts about the ins and outs of building a creative business and hosting community creative hours.

If you’re feeling called to and able to support me and would like to be part of this growing community, I’d love to have you.